Fake Wayne Knight Death Hoax Spreads on Facebook Upsetting Seinfeld Friends and Family

Actor Wayne Knight appears to be the most recent victim of an online death thread. The Wayne Knight death hoax claimed that actor was killed in an accident involving a tractor trailer leading to a social media frenzy on Twitter and Facebook. The rumor spread like wildfire on Facebook today, March 16. Without any major news outlets confirming the news. Aside from the fact that the “news” hasn’t been confirmed yet, the “Seinfeld” actor’s supposed death looks like it was fabricated with intricate details.

Image of Wayne Knight death hoax from Twitter.

The Wayne Knight Death hoax stated; “Actor Wayne Knight, better known to most for playing one of the most indelible roles on NBC’s “Seinfeld” as the character “Newman” is dead and two other passengers are critically injured after their vehicle slammed into a disabled semi-tractor-trailer late Saturday nightalong Route 446 near the Pennsylvania-New York state border in Eldred Township.”

The Wayne Knight death hoax started when a site called TMZ.today reported the actor had died when his vehicle hit a semi-tractor-trailer near the Pennsylvania/New York border. The website looks like an actual version of TMZ and even features fake tweets from witnesses of the “crash.” However,neither of the Twitter handles that supposedly wrote these tweets actually exist.

This has not stopped some on social media from believing that Wayne Knight is dead. Others, however, refused to fall for the hoax. Here are some Twitter reactions to the Seinfeld’s actor’s rumored death.

“RIP #Newman you were one of the funniest from the funniest sitcom ever,” wrote @jkufs.

“Yay it’s been a while since there was a Twitter death hoax!” wrote @DanSparano. “Congrats on being the lucky celeb Wayne Knight!”